Tubing and casing head



1940- s. P. TSCHIAPPAT 2, 5 73 TUBING AND CASING HEAD Filed April 3,1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l s. P. TSCHAPPAT 2,185,478

v TUBING AND CASING HEAD Filed April 3, 1937 5' Sheets-Sheet 2 glwucmmJamz, 1940. s. P. TSHAPPAT 2,185 478 TUBING AND CASING HEAD Filed ril 3,i937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 patented jan. 2, 194G 'ATENT OFFICE TUBING ANDCASING HEAD Sheridan P. Tschappat, Tulsa, Okla. Application April 3,1937, Serial No. 134,797

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful immovements in tubing andcasing heads.

As is well known, it is the custom in oil well production practice tosuperimpose tubing and 6 casing supports, whereby a plurality ofconcentric fluid conduits may be suspended in the. well.

It is one object of this invention to provide improved means forconnecting a casing support I and a tubing support and having certaincharacteristics making for increased safety and greater ease ofassembly,.and also whereby the packing between the supports may bereplaced without disturbing the well connections or having to lift thecasing and its support.

An important object of 1 the invention is to provide improved means forconnecting supports together and including an elastic packing elementwhich is so arranged as to be distorted by said means when the supportsare secured together. Another object of the invention is to provide animproved connection between supports wherein .a tubing support having ashoulder at its lower end is mounted on a flanged base member from whichcasing is suspended, andasplit ring, secured to the flanged base member,is adapted to overlie the flange on the upper end of the base member andto overhang the shoulder on the tubing support whereby verticaldisplacement of the support and member with relation to each other isprevented, the ring being split to facilitate application thereof sothat a connection between said member and support may be readily made.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means forconnecting a tubing support and a vented base member having flanges atits .upper and lower ends and having an internal shoulder for receivingsaid tubing support, wherein anelastic packing element is mounted at thejoint between the members and a detachable ring is arranged to fastenthe base member and support together, said ring also engaging thepacking element so as to distort the same into sealing position as thejoint is made up.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood connected thereto inaccordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same,

Figure 3 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, sectional view of thebase member and support, 5

Figure 4, is a horizontal, cross-sectional view taken on the line 44- ofFigure 1,

Figure 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the split retaining ring showing the samebefore assembly,

Figure 'I is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section ofanother form of the invention, and

Figure 8 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view, taken on the line 88 ofFigure '7.

In the drawings, the letter A designates an annular flanged base memberor casing head having a tubing support or head B superimposed thereupon.

The base member A includes a cylindrical body or shell 16 having anexternal annular flange H at its lower end, whereby the base member maybe connected to a suitable support (not shown). The body has a verticalbore l2 .and is provided with internally screw threaded radial outletsor ports l3 for receiving outlet pipes or conduits (not shown). The boreof the body is provided with internal screw-threads above and below theports and is adapted to receive the upper end of an outerwell casing 14which is screwed into the lower end thereof.

The upper end of the bore of the body is enlarged whereby an internalannular countersunk shoulder i5 is formed. This shoulder is adapted toreceive the lower end of the tubing support B. An external annularconnecting flange I6 is provided on the upper end of the body I0,whereby said body may be connected with the tubing support, as will beexplained. External vertical ribs l0 extend between the flanges on thebody Ill strengthening the same.

The tubing support B may be of any suitable type, but for purposes ofillustration a support is shown wherein an elongate tubular housing l'l,having an external annular flange l8 at its lower end, is adapted torest on the shoulder l5 of the body In. The housing has a cylindricalbore 19 having a slip bowl 20 formed therein, and the usual slips 2| aremounted in the bowl 50 and grip a well tubing 22 extending therethrough.Superimposed packing rings 23 are carried on the upper ends of the slipsand are held in position thereon by a split gland nut 24 screw-threadedinto the upper end of the bore 55 of the housing. The usual internallyscrewthreaded radial ports 25 are provided in the wall of the housingbelow the slips for receiving outlet pipes (not shown) for conductingfluid from the bore of the housing. The lower end of the bore I9 isinternally screw-threaded and receives the upper end of an inner wellcasing 26.

In providing a connection between the base member and support, anannular recess or oifset SS is provided in the upper end of the flangeI8 on the tubing support. The provision of this oflset in the flangeforms a comparatively narrow annular shoulder 3| at the lower end of thetubing support. When the support is resting on the shoulder 15 in thebase member, as shown in Figure 3, the shoulder 3| is in horizontalalinement, or lies flush with, the upper surface of the flange It on thebase member. An annular offset or recess 32 is formed in the enlargedportion of the bore of the body it and extends complementary to theoffset in the flange I8 on the tubing support, whereby, when saidsupport is in position on the shoulder E5 in the base member, an annulargroove 33 is formed between said base member and support (Figure 3), andan annular elastic packing ring J5 is mounted in this groove. A splitmetal're-taining ring 35 overlies the flange E6 on the base member andis secured thereto by bolts 36 passing through openings 3"! in theretaining ring and openings 38 in the flange. The retaining ring is ofsuch size that its inner portion overhangs the shoulder 3! on the tubingsupport B and when the bolts 36 are tightened the ring engages the uppersurface of the flange 15 on the base member and the shoulder 3i therebypositively holding the tubing support in position on the shoulder I5. Inmoving the retaining ring to such position, the packing ring 3Q withinthe groove 33 is engaged by said ring and distorted into sealingposition with the walls and bottom of the groove, providing afluid-tight connection between the base member and tubing support.

For facilitating assembly, the retaining ring 35 is preferably of thesectional or split type, the sections thereof being connected by bolts39 extending through openings 40 provided in upstanding ears 4i formedon the abutting ends of each section of the ring. Also, the opening 31'in the midportion of each section of the ring is internallyscrew-threaded to receive a stud bolt 36, which bolt is arranged toengage in a notch 38 provided in the outer periphery of the flange IE onthe base member. Therefore, in positioning the retaining ring tosurround the tubing support, the stud bolts are screwed into theopenings 3'? in each section and the sections moved into position. Thebolts 36' enter the notches 38, thereby at once alining the boltopenings in the flange H3 and the ring and affording a quickly made upconnection, since the sections of the ring overhang the shoulder 3! onthe support B and the stud bolts engaged in the notches 33 restrictupward displacement of said ring and support. The sections are thenconnected together by the bolts 39 extending through the ears 4! and thebolts 36 applied to furthersecure the ring to the flange E6 on the basemember.

The retaining ring is cut away adjacent the ears tl to permit passage oftie down members 62 which extend upwardly from diametrically opposedlugs 43 depending from the flange 16 on the base member. These tie downmembers are used to prevent upward displacement of the base member,being secured-to a suitable support (not shown).

It will be seen that the retaining ring provides a positive connectionbetween the base member A and the tubing support B by en gaging theshoulder 31 on the support to hold the same in position on the shoulderI5 in the upper end of the bore of the base member. Also, the ring maybe quickly and easily secured in holding position around the tubingsupport by sliding each section into engagement around the support andconnecting the sections by the bolts 39. Similarly, the ring .may bereadily removed from engagement with the tubing support to permitrepacking at this point without disturbing the well connections orlifting the casing 14 or member Ill. Since the stud bolts 36 are engagedin the notches 38" in such assembly it will be seen that a positiveconnection may be quickly made, addition of the bolts 36 strengtheningthe connection, thus providing a rugged, easily made, positiveconnection between the base member andtubing support.

It is also to be noted that the packing ring 34 is distorted intosealing position by the retaining ring as the connection is made,thereby providing a fluid-tight joint simultaneously with the making upof a positive connection between the base member and support.

In Figures 7 and 8, a slightly modifiedform of the invention is shown.The structure is exactly the same as that shown in Figures 1 to 6,.

with the exception that the inner well casing 25 is not screwed directlyinto the lower screw-' threaded end of the bore it? of the tubing suppport B. Instead, the upper end of the casing is connected in the lowerend of the bore of a collar 50 which collar has its upper endex ternallythreaded at 5!, whereby it may. be screwed into the bore IQ of thesupport B. The Y provision of the collar makes for easier assembly andalso permits the inner casing to be of a smaller diameter than thediameter of the bore.

What I claim and desire to secure by Lettersv tubing head having anannular base engaging in said casing head and restingupon the shoulderthereof and forming with said flange an annular groove, an annularpacking ring. disposed within said groove for sealing the joint betweensaid casing head and said base, and'means to secure said tubing headwithin. said casing head.

2. A casing head and tubing head assembly as set forth in claim 1wherein the tubing head has a shoulder substantially flush with the topof the surrounding flange of the casing head so that the securing meansrests rigidly on said last named shoulder and rigidly upon said flangeand distorts and covers the packing ring.

3. A casing head and tubing as set forth in claim 1 wherein the securingmeans is made as a split ring for application when tie members I areattached to the casing head, the flange of

